Oscar contender on West Bank irks many

Some Israelis wonder why government helped fund film so scathing in criticism of own policies

Published: 02/16/2013 at 5:21 PM

(Associated Press) An Oscar-nominated documentary about this West Bank hamlet has managed to infuriate people on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian divide.

In Israel, some are asking why the government helped fund a film so scathing in its criticism of its own policies, while Palestinians are shocked that the film is winning accolades for being “Israeli.”

“Five Broken Cameras” is the story of a yearslong struggle by residents of Bilin to wrest their village lands back from Israel’s military.